DR. S. MILLINGTON MILLER 

AND THE MECKLENBURG 

DECLARATION 



By 
A. S. SALLEY, Jr., 

AND 

WORTHINGTON C. FORD 



REPRINTED FROM THE 






glmmaw §ii^t0tial %tm)x 



VOL. XI., No. 3 APRIL, 1906 






r,^-'^ 



[Reprinted from The American Historical Review, Vol. XI., No. 3, .^pril, igo6.] 



DR. S. MILLINGTON MILLER AND THE MECKLENBURG 

DECLARATION 

[In the exposure of Dr. ^liller's interesting fabrication there have 
been two marked stages. In the period from the time of its pub- 
lication to December 30, 1905, tlie leading part in the attack was 
taken by Mr. A. S. Salley, Jr., Secretary of the Historical Comn-ls- 
sion of South Carolina, who assailed it in the Columbia State of 
Julv 30, and in the pamphlet mentioned below. From December 
30 on, in consequence of Dr. Miller's exhibition of his document 
on that day, the leading part naturally fell to Mr. Worthington C. 
Ford, Chief of the Division of Manuscripts in the Library of Con- 
gress. At the request of the managing editor, these two gentlemen 
have kindly furnished the Review with accounts of the first and 
second acts of the comedy respectively. The ancient question of 
the Mecklenburg Declaration, it is perhaps needless to say, remains 
where it stood before, except that Dr. Miller's efforts have resulted 
in awakening renewed interest in it and in eliciting some new bits 
of evidence. Our thanks are due to the editor of Collier's for per- 
mission to reproduce the original photograph first printed in their 
pages (plate i., posty ; to Mr. Salley for plate 11. ; to the authorities 
of the Public Record Office, Messrs. B. F. Stevens and Brown of 
London, and Mr. Alexander Graham of Charlotte, North Carolina, 
for plates iii. and iv. — Ed.] 

I. 

On April 30, 1819. the Raleigli Register and North Carolina 
Gazette,^ of Raleigh, North Carolina, published a set of resolutions 
that were alleged to have been passed in Mecklenburg County, 
North Carolina, by a convention, on May 20, 1775, and that had 
been rewritten from memory by John McKnitt Alexander, terming 
them a " Declaration of Independence ". A controversy over their 
genuineness was immediately started and has never ended. The 
latest attempt to prove them genuine was made by " S. Millington 
Miller, M.D." in an article on the Mecklenburg " Declaration " 
which he contributed to the issue of Collier's for July i, 1905. It 
was an elaborate but vain attempt to deceive the public bv a fac- 

' We regret to find that the reduction in size has entailed some loss of 
clearness. 

^On file in the Library of Congress. 

(S4S) 



THE 



CAPEFEAR 




, Y, Jun,. - 



MERCURY; 






T H K 



CAPE-FEAR 




MERCURY; 

it roj;t, It tmnii ia hoc ^ifnt- 



( F R I D A Y, November 24, 1769. ) N ° . 7, 

a (cinicncy a» to be prcjudkial ijthcf tlian tisfadtion i^ the rLippIj- vi imumtioh *(rf 

^■^' Ciy^''^" -■ *'*i'\">K'\S!!^ '^^y C^^ atiTantageous TO the (outilty. ^ the country, and the t(!iftanc« Icr if^ 

f. n 1- . . ■ 1 town of Ncwbcrn, which I rtcOotmcnd^ 

rtf tr/ Ex^ifkney WiHiam Ttyon, f/?; ine liate oF our public tufnh >! no cd to you in msrlpcccl., had betnl.ur.f--- 

Captain-Gnera/, Gcj^ier. arj (,»»• fl;n<^ fince the f«tlement oHlic Colony iijs cd with yOur jri>f"t>«ion. 

»i*fli!^jr in a:.f, tn a>tf! «'rr i'-- AUje/-, ffqiiircJ a moie ftnftcxaminatipn than at WILLIAM TRYGN. 

_.-.... --J .... ,_ L — r execf- 



tj's Prc-jirtei .,/ N'.ndl'Caf.iana. 
Tie A^idrefs ef the .^m->!j -f iht Jeid Frs- 

S I R. 

W!,:ri;I;';::, 
i.wh or t.K- ■■:<- 
(ju ■incer)! ^ - 
mturr. your i".x ciicin,"y "u^ :y. 

lion, jnd tjcj; If ivc M><Oi',i,f;i''.'»"y .)''"' 
Exce!io',r.y.i-.;i voiic. h-ip;;y '■■si^titu -U^im 
Virgioi* to yrjtir j^ovcmmcr.?. / 



piekiil-, and we a^rct with )i 

tc-nc. ib.ta rvcticmcniof the public ac- JVcnh-C^rfiiM. Ncwbern.Off. i?. 176^ 

coutiii Ihouici Ix-iorlhwith ohtamcc, fo ai p,. .^,„«,.„^.,i t... u.. T^..i.Y% ....._ 

[.rtji iHtc of ihcm may be' made 



ki.'jwn to th^- twiintry ; und ftiil be ex- 
Itcn c!y <.'bl,);*«d W-yoLt ex^eUcAtjf forwy 
obf. rvjtior.s :rr rcg'.daiitxij in fhfr manner 
'■'. '.--j:i:ig ll.*- public acc«U^tS irjit you 
fli." ic plcaft'l (o ia/ before vs, which 
may i- ;d t'^ r ndiff tlie Came free (rom 
■'■at obl.iirity thc^ have hitttfrio (Kcn 

Wc ill ill pvpr eflepm It out ^'\(fxnCi- 

iilfriiity to f ri<iu ic ir.lo» ar.(j jj^^'i-w lar 

t^f li.'s i; r thtetndi'jn-ot ^jpM fnirrn- 

,_ , cy }>»ve. JiBiJ iHeir <;ff<fl. an.i iti whole 



; ol (his (cl 



R'-vi'unmcndcd b> hii Excellency totji^ 
Iiuufe of rcprckntitivcs onw sficmbird 
as an i.ljr(^ wonhy of^heir stttmioa 
chit they take under cor fide ration ;ije. 
ftjte of (hi; public f-wenuc, ar.d the rt- 
(jubr .ipplufition thereof, for tFic int/- 
pofes to which.it is jpprcpriatcd. 

H F. h& h too well known tn ad- 
it ihnc in i Icng. 



Miffr 



ih 



ill CIJO'-l 



■^ntinnoihU 



'gtren os;tWi «'> i-::i:t')'i if* 
!rojn tht'cM'irk-i. pi 
paper currcjicy .14 a-i-". 

■ i*«c (riflff?T''iur5pij«;"i(Rat(w:rtnrmirrr- 
h!c r.pM;*^-,- ■> of. iHs !aie aif:-i'%. 

■will. yoi(«v^V^J.cncv'-'Jiitct'li 3- ''^-'p'^-, ;:;i'. ^vi:^;.; no 'J^fi, 

whigityou wire*l>hAicji y .v;r: -v u •*;'- -. !■•• .fut t<».iay aay I' 

3fl'^ -^iiich w; .;(jiilx,iMf.-ih»s ofC.-i »ii>.t fi-; fji" tlhr jMsrp&lf? 
fttcr^ooofiy **T ■ ; 'r. jirf-i- -vf , ■ ;-;.''»s.i ; - tii-rii prypofm^ 1 

v>i:-, wr':li.j' • nove ooisVc*' tt« reli -f upofc; gJaJij, pfiper 

lo flwcefTiri- loi-tc (Jifftsftcd fiv-^i^-r.,: 'jrtKf^WlHffls. V' t 



tellifrencc your exccl'cr.^y has re- 

^1)1 hniiie, and whiih y-u 4«: 

:ftOCfjfriTT>r»rni:aw— •V-ui, rtrgsrdtng 



TH F. faa 
M!it of. K 

CDUilr 0*" ycjrs paft, y^ttit funis ot publiX 
iiKHicy iuve bcrii loit by the ncgligcr.ce 0/ 
infoivciicy 0: iheriffs, and other coljcC- 
lori. * 

. Arvl it it prefiJ.T^- ih'^.'MijiBJ '^r"'* 
cnuric of ttir.p, conSSfQ^i^^K?^' -v^vc^ 
fceen li-nl:, alter tlicy Vl)^ ^gc,. iii liic 
p'.iHiic trtvlury. whereof w accouiu lijfij 



laicfty's pff lent inmi- 
i\ to propo;: (•) pjf- 
rthcr tjzci >. 
jf raifino .1 



, iSv.-:i -,\thi? m ';.ji 

■ ihe.cf^ va;Tpr ..(to the, in , 
-.'. Ill ■.vlrdi We y,-,-r 
. ^c of I'.r 'iif;rr 

""ITMC ; Jild-vili 1 



ir.g -in e^en; ia f.i'^ 



. holiV 

.:nrnj^_.r of a^"' ; 
^Tto hii^3^4|r .lit 
brin. nei o' :'^eJeL " 



hithrrwiucn 1 

A Jaw ot thii province lately palU^^I 
will, it executed w.th vigor, pmbabj,- ' 
in 2 grca: :rearurr, prevent, /or (he ijajft)- 

^ to conic, (iieijtll of (iiefe milthie's . a^' 

>' uke olf the dunes ^ '■'" '^ prrveni the huer, might tf <^ 

arvd color*, ii very e-S-it P'-V^'C utility, lor mankind n^Ver 

V Ifbemat^mofc K T'^^ ^-t" '•«'' aB!wv, eiifirr for their 

rrfWc:hci-ihcirdd^n*ttc.«rticilinto ?--"»«,. or public hepe&t, lo reariiiy, a» 

.n, e.cn uPci^tSeconlidiration of ''^"*'=^ ""'^ ^''^f *: P'^^iS* HoncJl^y, 

-ri hav.«g.<«i fiitt W-ratyto ^pltW* »*" ^.''^ P"rpo4**.inBP(»%d. 

Urfui: pnncL;-. •.fcummer«i .^.r:l «r A .o-;r.u«M. regu'ar, pbin »M uqLj, 

rj ■i.Gthn wc'iiea.:. 10 h^s-"" --s u>,'**W imi.xHl ofJteep.ng thft (wfesSfcui^ 
jvr the fentitr.eou of thc,fii.i...l«i-.-in' '^tttf^Jof .iWpbhc rcv.-nuc,.^d o^.ft.t-.. 
1 r;-,st ipaliKular/ coiocide «Kti "our "'•^ ""^ 'W'"8 n^-fc 8"o. 
,._.,, . . veixi liicl)|l>ti|j-3, «i;d,:; 

_.f difficulty rfn-it imp»i(5UeiiG 
^Ve fympalhize with'llie unfonuiux zlrtwcpuhh:' :r ■v.py^. 
(u.Tirersip the latcflorm in gciicral, ifi^ The houft, ti.c!<^or^, 
(IteVnhabiuntsol.^ewbc/n m parti- ^or ihc luciire, (Htf p!it 
rcljr: But the calamities, luffc* an-' ni:s- prCJivrly, li>r the ti^rl- 
^ J fct «ncouf»»toait given by an aa of t, , tunes, occ'afiytied fhf leby, bciag gtn& -Wiped so keep .1 re- . 
porjitijiem w uEjJailture of uwiilk in rai, we rannot, corfdteni v.ith :hc duty b«"k4 m whiih.&au - 

AoWica, \i-p\^ng,Ma4iig,tc<:ibl9 to u% ; we owe our <oi.flKtjerH.l, think of grant- W'ticular lum of monr; Kit;, 
apd wc alTur- yfcur excej«»cy,.i]»arijj>iall ifiir them afljlh^nce, ia prefcrmi to any by thrm on Jccf unt or ihe v'J' 
r>eet wiiJi tij.ii lurther^lencoiiwi^mcnt oiher pan of the province, 1<^, by Jo tbf nameof the pcrJbn .AfMji v 
fconriftent wuh the rruc' intfr^ft ,,f thrs tJuing, we fti'^uld fhew a pmialit/ we *'''"'e(l. Or^ whonn^ijvC}r> «<]1 .i^jfc, , 
coitnity, kt lo inicrcfling^ an objtcl may would ever eudeavor tft aTJtd.' '^^7^ <**f. »ihI- ti^ti.Qi ttlS-.-tC"'-''- 

rcquirc. ^ ■ . ■ uon,, , '■ V; 

^^^:ng prov,fi.n of PO';;*rMd ,,^ ^^ ^^^^^, ,^^ ^^^, ^^y_ A ca(h-bcok. de>»C and^ cred^t^r, 

'IW'KBIot iDJieitys lervice arid the de- iiJ/'^iJ. .; . •*C5p^ n« yeafiiref u^t» <»nc,lid« JKi-t 

^^Mff«fi(hn g'lv-mmenr, ac th • timr, ^ ^ ^S^ ' m^keiifcrtfii debtor, for ftU ^<^ of"fl|A^ 

-.1^ wr are rn| Wic^ the blerTi^j:* of ^. .^Miw, if$d gnlltifua ^ flnlfiS^ '"^ "'"'^«5' P^"' '" '" ^"" • '«* ^^iS^.: 
■?ptf^, geGmii HI fr, to Jay, w? humbly tflimhU., ■■ '^" iLei ctcdwor (or ai) lun*? rT pnHic > 

a^btehpn^i il by no mrans nceefTirv, as ' j money.paiij out by him. whIi ti: 

vt^tf .^aa or at wiiaiioevcr upon our T Thar.k youfor y«urcoti£;nmiaiJ|jm_on (uch receipt* and payoxnt.' ■, w 
*r)Kfcm"^of Bccflflty be a difcouragff- I my return from Vicginia/lwlJlbioM^* bw a altc^rtlier abilratttd :■■ 
tfe^t i(^ ;h« {unc> and of courfe hiW^e lucti uy. h vi^t^-hMfi^affsaikd'f^ll^a^mf^ (tiof^«c il^x-bwA. 



A 



S. M . Miller and the Mecklcnbiiro Declaration 550 

manufacturer counted the number of weeks, not the luimber of 
Fridays (inckisive), and numbered his paper wrong. He numbered 
it 294. It should have been 295 to have the correct number of 
Fridavs. But the history of the Cape-Fear Mercury shows that it 
was not issued continuously every Friday from October 13, 1769, 
to June 2, 1775. The following extract from the journal of the 
Wilmington Committee of Safety for January 30, 1775, shows that 
the paper had suspended publication at some time prior to the latter 
date : 

Wr. Adam Boyd, having applied for encouragement to his news- 
paper (some time ago laid aside), it was resolved that the committee 
. . . would support him on the following terms: That he, Mr. Boyd, 
should weekly continue a newspaper, denominated the Cape Fear 
Mercury, of 21 inches wide, 17 inches long, 3 columns on a page, and of 
the small pica or long primer letter, and in return receive his payment 
at the following periods, viz : ten shillings at the delivery of the first 
number, ten shillings at the end of every succeeding si.x montlis there- 
after.' 

It now appears, though the fact was doubtless unknown to Miller 
as to most others, that there are five copies of the Cape-Fear Mer- 
cury in London. C)f these, tliat of nearest date tii Frida>-, June 2, 
1775, is daterl Friday, July 28, 1775, exactly eight weeks later, and 
yet it is number 266 (plate iv.). The three papers of later date in 
1775 accord with this in dating and numbering. .Ml five are of two 
columns to the page, not three. 

But the wrong date and the wrong number are not the only: 
evidences of spuriousness on the face of the facsimile of this paper. 
There are three distinct shades to the paper, marked by clearly 
defined lines, showing that the cut was made from a photograph 
of at least three distinct and separate pieces of paper put together. 
The heading imdoubtedly came from a genuine Cape-Fear Mercury, 
but not one of " June 31^), 1775 ". A comparison of the cut of the 
genuine paper in the American Antiquarian Society's library (plate 
II.) with that in Collier's of the spurious paper (plate I.) will show 
that the latter bears exactly the same stains, specks, typographical 
defects, etc., as the former, and that the heading of this spurious 
paper is in fact an altered copy of the genuine one. For instances : 
the right upper horn of the little ornament over the parenthesis 
before "Friday" is broken off in both; just to the right of the 
same parenthesis is a speck that appears on both cuts ; just under 
the " F "' is another ; inside of the " U " in " Mercury " is another ; 

' S. B. Weeks, Tlic Press of North Carolnui in tlie Eighlccntli Ccniury 
(Brooklyn, Hist. Printing Club. 1891), 33. 



551 IV. C. Ford 

and so on all over the heading. Some apparent effort has been made 
to remove the larger stains from the altered copy, with the result 
that the altered copy is blurred or scratched at every single point 
where these stains show up clearly in the unchanged copy. It is 
well known to several people in Worcester that S. Millington Miller 
was in Worcester a short time before this article appeared in Collier's 
and that he visited the library of the American Antiquarian Society, 
and it is also known that the Society's copy of the Cape-Fear Mer- 
cury was photographed for him prior to the appearance of his article 
in Collier's. The following letter will throw some light on the 
matter : 

Photogr.\phers' AssnciATioN OF New England 
Office of the First Vice-President 
Mr. A. S. Salley, Worcester, Mass., Nov. 13, 1905. 

Columbia, S. C. 
My Dear Sir: — 

Your iiKiuiry of the nth inst. to hand. I did make a 
copy of the Cape Fear Mercury for S. Millington Miller, but for some 
reason he wanted a reverse negative made — and in doing this there 
might have been a slight deviation from the exact size\ but .in your 
copy I feel quite sure that the dimensions are exactly the size of the 
original, as I was very particular about the size.' I thank you for giving 
me cr. for the copy in your reproduction. 

Very truly yours, 

J. Chester Bushong 
No. 6 Elm St. 

The metal in the electroplate loaned the writer for his pamphlet 
by Collier's shows up brighter where the erasures were made on 
Mr. Bushong's photograph or negative. The next photograph and 
the equally faithful half-tone made therefrom and the electroplate 
made from that all preserve the truth quite plainly. 

That the date of the genuine paper was altered for the repro- 
duction is quite evident. " June 3RD " is not in the usual type used 
for printing the months in the Mercury's date-line ; it is not in the 
same type as " November 24 " in the genuine paper. The " J " 
and " une " are not in the same relative proportion as the " N " and 
" ovember ". The " kd " is in small capitals, which were seldom 
or never used in date ahbreviatioDS in the body of a newspaper then 
and are not used now — always lower-case letters — and it was not 
the style of the Cape-Fear Mercury to use figures followed by " rd " 
or " th " in the date-line ; a comma was all that was used, but the 

* The dimensions given by Miller in Collier's are 8^4 by I3^}i. 

• Mr. E. M. Barton, the librarian of the American Antiquarian Society, con- 
firms Mr. Bushong. The writer has a letter from him stating that the photo- 
graph made by Mr. Bushong for the writer was made the exact size of the paper, 
namely, 8^ by is^i. 



CAFE-^EAKM^^m% MERCURY. 

_W E D N E S D A Y, DECEMDER 39, 1773. Kumb. 204. 

. y^'-^'^ri THE 1> U B I. I C K. 

■ nrTOR WARD makes his'^-jrmctt acUnuwlcJL-ment^ 

^ol'ihank", lolht pro.-. nee ii. oene.jl, Iji ihc ;,cji ei, j'Tp I lib U tO Ict all pfflors knOW thit I (ullv intend 



E 



^,.cmeni it h«Bi«'> •"■••"•-■"' '"' ""'"""f- "■"'">- '''<■ ^ ,o IHl all Illy pclMlicr.s of lands iv.il I'liuld ii-l 

lleBtJpuiftii'g"!"- (._c .he I ^.,..c d,e t-ies v. , ;'■ ;ii>''-'^- ,, ,^r,c or deed in N..rtii.(. .11 ..;i,..i, V. hicii il ir.e tli.u. 



_■ ,...1 iliv. the liisar '.vc . - ■ i- , ■ ■ ■ - , . _ . 

V • the (■■nun.:! -t tc ^ ^1^' "''y i""r'* "-I Or 1 

''aMHcmiii':"'''''^' *■"'"■ ::u- l.iwcr Jerry intliHii... 

,;^^.VMWm.^''i■•^ ... , , ,^.- , .,;„j .,.;,. ^,,,. 

tei, I'l" •' ^' ■ 

,aiiae, >;'•■'''; , . 

5ii.ii', 1^' ■■■ - ...... 

, d.-tc, 15. ■ 

ibv ukii: ' I . ,,,:;...- 

■iVe in Wilni'Kic'ii. -> ■ • . u).;!ioId Jurniicrc" loD tv::icus CO iiitr.l ;'^;i 

.,;.ni^."i«"t>-->'-''''' ■■^'' - .: r u.i,' .-r 'I Ikl'.. loir.-l v.-ktS'.! Srx 
R^„;,ir^of Mr Km. 



iKey'ltvc on i- 



rhcrcoi ■ 111, 

rp;.„,,., . ' ■ ' ■ ■--■ci^lcJ, al-r,ut Jil- 

givcc.i: ■ ■ ■) ; ■■ :^ , ■■ ; irotii r, * n>cr td 

esfcrnil, ' " ,■,,.,-.....'._, 

ad.(l>''c.l fi.i g:' V, ,v , 

in (hcr,i..rir.icl.m;; u: -,.■-.; l .■■-:. m ,, - ^- ; liji,' ;r.'X jtli.l Ijjral.^ vrfv g'.>';u 1; .■■j,] ■ ■: ■ .-li;,! Iii-j 



■ .lU'Ki,. 



en yc3r>< 
T iictc is rcjlon to believe they were >-.iri:'(! i-ff 
... . h*vc, s- ;1a^-.' yr . !_,]■■ ' - :■ ■'; '■■.'' "; "j^^v fome llfJ«lin;i white ni'-'n, •^■Jio went, iiU'ijt (SaE 

l\..(lvcf;Uct^.«ht>ftnr,!hcn&i; /"/,!",'';;,' ^.tinic, througliTHjs into theKocth j-rovm.^. 

v.5\ii^ »ip»p en I"" "P'ln i.iern . . , ^^ ,-,„^A ;\ rev^.iri! of Idol currcn^'V rif 2^;! proc n:onfv will 

wijhicainW, on every psp;!" > : '^''"bc pa^d on t" ■, v .^Itcii -f t' r ulK'n,;<-r5. an>-. Jelivii v ut 

he given aloni; wjili ihcm. '"^^jihc il.ivcs to I^m Aritruin I.'q in VVuntuinton {J^.-^-n- 

jhcbcMtotipilh.ioin Jbo^j- , _ ..; _,;, ■ , ■"''X'-V.ir, or [>. "me. And whacVcr will intun-i whtr.; 

*'''V a^^»n'm' ' ■".■<■■ '■■-■■''' p"'"'''^* ' '■','ilif!'- ii."i '"'s arc fo that tlicy can be I'ecurec* for tlicir 

Nlmw'»pre^ni > ■ . y.io'ih lulijim iii" ,. ■ I '■ "" -i.^ iii'T,; :li •!! rccci\'c a reward ofg fifty puur.ds curren 

(^fimptcv'd l.iT:'ri«r,.ii .i li,; .:n ■'< I'otlic, di Lo .I'vi ■, . ;. ,^ Kobcn Hcriot. 

Bi:(am«f hon^yi...(;a<.7rah,. ^;'7*--^''';;;''- ■;'';;.;■;;■' ';';[.'; c.-or^e-Town s.-camiina, d^c i^. 

. „Ti* s*perbm. an elV^nre agiinft th-(euTvry. luii.. .v. v ^ -^ ■> ^ — * 

""wrr>">\d.f..le.n l.-^nl., c-f 7 ""^ '^-. i.in.lc p.li-. ^ P-, i„ ^lu^J .-ui ..dh o, on ln.,r[ li.Jk. v.il.i -h -...V- 
*•''; V.>«.dc-l.uc<: in V.uU^t.f =j, . . , , I .,, I,... - 

^ 'f ccc6fulfoi^ctn-lI 1 he h*ih»d iv*i.lic..smlh;ipn)ViL...c X have b-tn acfilliOrr.-- • -■ 

*■ kJ»c has atro cu! and cuird of Uair-Iipt, Unhcn D.xt-n ,. ,,;., 1 .,,;r^ , 

J ^^ "f uUard ot lUf SoviTid on ec.n'.f, a» ig Khz iwe bovi. I Iil(]ilirc '>t 



...'^?, 



/ THE/- -^ "^ -^ 

CAP E-F E A E, M E R G U R Y. 



r a I D A T, J U L Y l3, 1775. 



[N., 



G 



A cmCULAR LETT E!i 
^Q tut COMMITTEES of Sooth-CaroiijJ*. 

ChjacRown, Jmii: 30, 177^. 
Fcitow-ClTlZKNS, 

TiaS tear will bv a gnxxi cpoclia m the hiitory of 
mankin^i. In iKis ^onfpicuouft ^inJ cvci-aicmo.a- 
Vic year A.ii.i:* Um bicii abuicJ, aniiiiiuin hjs dil- 
CHicca h«i.:ll. "' ->» u,v sampled m-nner. Aliihc guilt 
U" al! th- \n-U\h iniiiiU^rs of fhw, from ihe rcign ot ihe 
Firft WiiH:un, lo the ccn. i^^H.-'U of thclatc v^r, do;« 
Bacqualthcgu.lt th.u Bi.nih miniacrs havcnKiirird 
Curt the bw"rv;no<i. Thr: mi-afurc of then mujuwy 
appears now lull. They ^czm fixed in inc luirluit ci incir 
nhn t.j eiif.-Nc Amric, =11 oukr that ihrjr n.igarcnlUvc 

^. ,,,.;■, , , .^]:.iZ.: llic moiurth, ihut h.>i bt-i-n 

- ;,!, 10 gof.tn under thtf Kivr—iiito 
!'■;;:, divine i>ioYid<nv'f his iii- 
J"-,,; ,l ,u, ' ■■: lu.-h viiui-, cQiirnt:-, r.rt'.l ten- 

^lu.-t^ ,, :.,,, ■,;:! :'.::: ii::ciUioii ui tfi-.; uim- 

vuilJ ^.i.; ■■-■■ ■-'--•-- ■ "* i-iniui to th.- btflt pv»It';i-i:y. 
The Amtn^impromilc to an- it the iund ul tyuaj;;, 
»nd 10 f.ivc cvcM litil-nnin from n»ickl:«. 

In a kinitr ktttr wc dtxlarcd to >mi, that there w-s 
"but lit:!c probabilitT of dceidin? iho p'fkiit uuh..pj-y 
r.ubl«: difruifs, by the pacific m=«»uics wc have hitUcno 
putfutd;" Our it-.? rv-re jaft, an J wjtb the d--cpdl 
erief, yei fu'Hi fl rtTii':,! 1, wc now aijn: ;;ncc to jfiu, 
that tU fv .1.1 .1 .i^'i •'■■-, is not only acUir'lly drawn, . 
bm ftainc<l ^«I^l>h!wi! The liin-'« t.oopj Imvc aS 
length commence hoili:;ti£5 a-jalua thiitoniin^m ; and 
jjot confining ti:--ir unycnciov^ «tucl;3, .i-Ainl' in-'n m 
arms dcf;mn.g th::ir prcp^.t'cs, th:y ti^rt n..«^'h:rrcd 
the unarnica, ihc iKii, ibc hclp!."ls: h.-.vin.; \;^r.y_ <n.n!- 
criininucly oppteilJd, they h.i>t now r..«rt-i.ivd outJ^l- 
Jow-iUbicds i!i Min:.chuictt>-llay. iM-ilc tiie cvcwt! 
Tlicf= enormities wirt iVarciy p(.-rpcir^t::d, M-hcn the 
• irinc vciiscancc pui:"(.-cii the pi.iiiy, even hoci the 
iiung lip 01 th= fun, ur::il ihc g'jing do'cn 01 ih^ f.iniL- : 
ihc king's troop; verc di:l-om!iiod ; they tij.i b;:-\.-rc cur 
injurei ai.n^s i t'.K: night f-vcd thc:n fioin total dc- 
Criidicn. 

Biil f-e, in v/]:at manner the Anterican civil warcom- 
tDLticrd ; and vc Uy brfore you the calc, as Jbt:d by 
y.::iLral Gr.gc on the one part, a«id by tm; voj-c ot Amu- 
iica i.n the other. 

The .'cncfjl fent a rt^-tachmcnt. of about 800 foUhcri 
into th/iounii y, vj W VfZ ind dtftroy the piopcrtv ol the 
pccplc <.£ :':;■: >!jr;--l-Lif:t'LVoay. This dctachiHcnt, in 
ll>tir \i.:.v ;o Cuuccrd, at LeMnsrtcn, fiw " about :oj 
vutr dr.'vri up rai a green, and whcr; the troops came 
■vv,,r.in 10 ) y.tu''. of them (a fitusti'm out of t?n: line of 
tii;!ir nijfijii; tb:y b^g.in to fdc otI'.'' Ths toldicts upon 
•'obfcr'vini; rhi^,'" " rao after thcm^ to furmund '^nd 
dil'urm ilKm. .^.mc of them, ^ho h^l jump-jd ov.t 
fl wall, tlien ."rod f->ur or lite ihot at ilic ircops, and, 
•Upou tlu»." t'jc foldicrs « began a ItairerL-d ftrc, .tiid 
Itiiicd fcvcr^I -j; thcr country people.*' Clear a» it :s, 
even frum this D.:,i-^, that tbv Vinffi troops bv runnnig 
sfterj xttuatly urat'.icd the pruvincijls p^ i.-catly iJhng 
. off; yet g.iik-al C::>ge h.a llic inicgiitj to cn.iiic bts 
narrj'.ive ni uni un!'jitu*'.ate iinir, " a cifcuinlUintia* 
Aycouni of an aitjx^t ci his riiaj'rfty'i troops by a ^•"^- 
Vcr uJ thr ptojic ci MAtlicKuf'Ttfl-B'ay,;'' JSut irfrn ^vi;i 
eeafc 10 le fuiynfvH! st ini\, whcO ihcy arc told iTk lie- 
ntcal malfs »»o ftrupJc ty t'.oIxic e»?n a foleiur; cngagt^ 
, nci:t. After tlic gci;frai'» dcnrafcd troopi rcti«ued 10 



voted ciry wou! 1 dtuvcr vji th* ir arir.-;, he wctJiri per- 
mit th< ^n to rc:i:e trG:-n liic town, wiih ihcir dfctls : 
They dtiivctcd up n.-.ir 3000 lUn.t of ainis---.uiil to t)i:s 
d.iv» they arc, in lhj«\clui hivMth ol ihc ejpi'.'i),.il';ii, de- 
tained in caplivity, pAii^nilj cnduunjj the tji-muiicij of 
I'itninr. 

However, ihe voter of Annrrica tliuS dcfciibcs ths 
commenevn:cnt ot iMs uiin.iiu:al var : about i.tL,hl ur 
nine huii.htd l'oi-:i,is tr.nie in fi^ht, ju'X before fun- 
j'iiV> of jbout )oo mi.n, training tin n.l, Ives to arm?, a$ 
iifuil ( and the tioojs lunniny wiihin » lew rods cf 
them, the Lommaiiui:ig oificrr called out to th: militij^ 
** difpcrfc you rcU.I';, d.vinii yi-ii, throw down )cui army 
aud dilpcflc." I'pon \vhi(.li the troopj hui;za'd — inimc- 



ih.' 



nd 
ill 
the 



' and 
. -, . f 
, I ■'( 
.1 .id 
■'.■:.tcd 

t tlr. 



■Mnd5^ 
its of 

he 1 •; 



irt!y one or two ctli'XfH dil. h .-j;' 
tb-n ihcrc fcemcd to he a g:n.ri! C. 
whole bo'ly. i-ifcht Anunc.-ns \\ 
Ipof, ^n..' i.ine wrrc wc-jin'cd. . 'J 1 c .< -- k 
luiuui-s,. rciunU'tl tiKii t; Jt^h to L> ■,.( rJ 
lpcc*;ily dcli-uytd a ct'iikderahlc t,L r : :v 
c::iei IbrcS bi lor.g^ig to \U ptib!:. . 
i>;i;ja3, abtut i5^-> "■-i.-'i, ;jijr!i.cd i ■ 
rtfletnbicd mar a iiiiu-^e jt Co.n^i. - 
upcn thtrn, ani fc:i:Cii U'^o irm. Ir - ■- - 
aa cf deadly ho!;;. it) tl-r. .<.i.i:d l!i= Ai.. y.. 
fore: by io;ce. 'i ik y iiov.- iiturn' -" '^ '' 
Un;;'« f.ooi'S" o-il oi ihcicwii, a.;; 1 
Kuctt^ia LcNin^icti, .ivbcrClhey i 
jiioc tr;fh niei*, nnc two p-cccs ol < ' 
b'rinj'',, I Y*ll'>s ;ii:ie. irici..j:.d i'l th i. . 1 
dillot^lgcd the tJOJpN f:o;n airs ('■1', >.u., 
remvii.ider of ih: c.y, mr.^c a crre:; iL:ii-- rci, 
the Anv.-ican liir, .li.d t^'ned a place ci I 
ccXi.! of til- nit;iji : hi di^ b»t;lj cl Lo. 
Ain^'ricins b:i I 31; men killed, und in w,-. 
king's ti oops loll IC'J nitii, kiih'ii, \v..i.!i..!. 
fm^-; snd, by fubfcqiifnt aetcunt?, K ^I'p^ 
confrqtuflcc of that adion, g::;;^!:.I '.;■,;'-'' " 
t.^insd a dimiiuition of iojO ni^n, ^■^ t ; 
priibnct!., dcferticn, furfcits, and .. '■ ■ -^" 
Iciviee. For th= troops K!i>^ four-.ji.l-i.-- 
on duty, march: t-, fou^^ht, ;ind fled, ^3 m.i.-. . . 1 ■ r 
time. Miihottt ihc IcaJt rdixOiment. Ltt it h- i,n. '■ - 
b^rcd. that lh:;fe i3oo BriVlfli regul.irs, cofi'inM.g u. ,],e 
picb-J men of the whole arn-.y — gun,.dKf3, hght inf ,11- 
try, .ind mjrin-:.s, earcfuliy piTpTu:d for ;hc -•.ne.'-r.--::, 
were dtf.-^cd and driven, by ahon: 1 .\ ■ :' - 

Jiti.i, bro.ighl 10 re[ii.lan cne.\pccl-' 
in ;itcid..n:al p.iriui upon the ipui ■ 'J 

be iiclivercd uown [o poller ity, tha; '. . ,V -ri ;. .n I'lI 
wsr brok'j oKt on t!ic irjth u.>y r,- ' r ;!, '"7'""^ 
epoch lh:.t, i:t .iM ff'^bjciliiy, \v;i; j.i.. -■- i.i^-- ^^-'■■-•■-■'■^ 
cl the I;ri:;^-<nipirc ! 

Such 7>» Inipoftant e^erit ?.^ :'.■■'. .\Sii-i.".^ tc 
of civil W-ir, c;<u(ed ihr r,,,. r.:..n ul Ui; 
tbc fhftof June; :i> ■ ' ' ' V'^'^ 

nude ag..infl in-.pc], ^ ' ^ "^ 

on the 2:d intl*nti - ' '" " 

andtbioupW you, the puju. 
tranf^flions of ihii inipoir 1.^ 1 . 

As a lull l!n lor o.;r ,;. 1 ■■■. , ^ 
dient to »iM' ' ■ ■ I I 

inherdtL;!.. 

on l!>c fouflh -J; '-■ J- ■■ • ■ ■ 
bntion of divine icriiee, Jii \.ciij;f'-;-, rri 
r.cncdbyaU tire ni-.-mbcis prelcf.:. 1*^'^" 
iher; Rves arrd fortunes. In mc (; ■- 
Oic ..iliK-i.ition W.1S voluntini^ lu;. ■ 
inh.ibicini m Cliarlcftoti", wd - 






.S'. J/. Miller and the Mccklciibni-g Declaration 552 

" RD " in small capitals appears to have been used in this case to fill 
up an awkward space. The " Friday " and the " 1775 " occupy ex- 
actly the same positions on this pajier that they do on the Antiquarian 
Society's paper. "June 3," is not so long as "November 24," and 
would leave an awkward space which the " kd " in small capitals, 
followed b\' the comma, helps to fill uj) for the sake of appearance. 
Besides, the appearance of the electroplate indicates that a change 
was made on the original photograph (ir the negative thereof before 
being reproduced. This does not show in the print as it does on 
the electroplate made from previous reproductions. The " 75 " in 
1775 " is also in a different t\pe from the " 17 " ; the " 5 " is awry ; 
and the "2" in "294" is in a different t}'pe from the "O " and 
the " 4 ". 

Another significant fact is that the copies of the Capc-F car Mer- 
cury that are in London, issued in 1775 (r. "-.. plate \\. ), are without 
the royal arms of Great Britain and the Latin motto that appear on 
the heading of the paper issued in 1769 that is in the library of the 
•American Antirjuarian Societ}'. The same types were used for the 
title, however. 

Again, the types in the first two cohnnns appended to this head- 
ing are different. The type of the Mecklenburg " Declaration " in 
the first column are apparently modern type, and are smaller and 
trimmer than the type of the second column, which are the chunsy- 
looking type of the Revolutionary period. The second column was 
apparently taken from a paper published just after the Lexington 
and Concord fights, in April, 1775, giving the casualties of those 
fights. The small piece of this column preserved in the cut in 
Collier's is exactly — punctuation and all — like the account of those 
fights published in Almon's Rctiiciiibranecr. But the names are in 
italics in the Reiiicinbraiiccr, and its account was doubtless copied 
from an earlier paper : and it was probably from that earlier paper 
that JMiller cut the account and used the first of it to fill up his first 
column below his IMecklenburg " Declaration " and continued it on 
his second column. \W' are uninformed as to what constituted his 
third column, for the editors of Collier's cut off' from their photo- 
graph all but the heading, the " Declaration " and four lines of its 
alleged list of signers, and the small piece of the second column 
shown in the cut. Another striking coincidence is that when Miller 
was in Charlotte in the spring of 1905 he was shown a copy of 
Almon's Remembrancer containing this account of the Concord and 
Lexington fights, and tried to buy it. 

The first column, which contains only the first three of the five 
resolves of the alleged ]\Iecklenburg " Declaration " of May 20, with 



553 ^f' C. Ford 

the names appended of the chairman, secretar)-, and others of the 
alleged members of the convention, was evidently set up for the 
especial purpose of making this very column, and was then printed 
off on a well " doctored " piece of paper. It was set in modern type, 
and as the font evidently contained no old-fashioned long " s " 
(which resembles an " f "), a modern " f " was used in lieu thereof. 
The difTerence is apparent. The bar at right angles to the perpen- 
dicular extends from the left across to the right of the perpendicular 
in the " f " ; it stops at the perpendicular of the old-style " s." This 
alleged contemporary print of the Mecklenburg " Declaration " faith- 
fully follows in capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and the arrange- 
ment of the names of the alleged signers of the " Declaration " 
(save that the lines of the Chairman and the Secretary are reversed, 
while they retain their proper positions on those lines) a broadside 
printed in Joseph Johnson's Traditions ami Rciniiiiscciices of the 
Revolution in 185 1, which did not pretend to be a copy from the 
original " Declaration ", but is now known to be a copy of another 
broadside of the " Declaration ", manufactured about 1825, and pre- 
senting a list of the alleged signers. Mr. Alexander's memory could 
not possibly have been so accurate as to have enabled him to remem- 
ber the very spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and arrangement of 
a paper he had not seen in many years : and it is also a significant 
fact that when Miller was in Charlotte in the spring of 1905 he was 
presented with one of these broadsides. 

These several pieces of paper were placed in juxtaposition and 
photographed, and the first and second columns were not so placed 
as to make their perpendicular lines of type exactly parallel. 

If the controversy over the Mecklenburg " Declaration of Inde- 
pendence " is ever settled, it will have to be done by genuine con- 
temporary documents and not by spurious ones like this. 

A. S. S.\LLEY, Jr. 

II. 

Being asked by a member of the North Carolina Historical Com- 
mission to give my opinion of the Cape-Fear Mercury of June 3, 
1775, which Dr. S. Millington Miller was holding for sale, I went to 
Baltimore on the morning of December 30 under an arrangement 
with the three gentlemen representing North Carolina, namely. Dr. 
George W. Graham, Mr. Alexander Graham, and Mr. R. O. Alex- 
ander. Under a plea of an important engagement Miller left the 
city before I arrived, Iiut agreed to " endeavor to secure " my opinion 
" by a direct written request upon him fme] within five days of this 
date." The committee reported that Miller showed to them a two- 



6". J/. Miller and the Mecklenburg Declaration 554 

coluniiied paper ( that reproduced in Collier's being one of three col- 
umns, see plate i.), and specified that the word "' Medford " was 
printed in the third line from the top of the second column in 
Miller's sheet, whereas the Collier facsimile gave the second syllable 
of the word, " ford ", as the first word of the second column. 
Further, to Mr. Waldo G. Leland, who accompanied me to Balti- 
more, and who has shown a keen and intelligent interest in the 
subject, the committee gave definite points upon the water-mark of 
the paper, the repairs upon it, and the general appearance of the 
sheet, which formed the basis of questions to Dr. ]\Iillcr in my talks 
with him. 

On December 30. Dr. Miller wrote that he would see me on one 
of three days he named, and I at once named Friday, January 5. I 
was with him for an hour and a half on Friday and nearly two hours 
and a half on Saturday, with his Capc-Fcar Ulcrciiyy before nie. 
My questions were all framed with an idea to show^ how and when 
he obtained this paper. I was obliged to conclude that his state- 
ments are entirely unreliable, and that he was offering a paper which 
he knew to be a forgery, and of which he was presumably the forger. 
The most puzzling feature in the matter, however, lay in the definite 
statement of the three gentlemen from North Carolina that he 
showed to them in Baltimore a two-columned paper. It was a three- 
columned paper that I saw, and the water-mark, the repairs, and the 
location of the w'ord " Medford " all corresponded to what the com- 
mittee saw. Even if they had told jMiller what points they thus 
especially noted, and they assure me that they did not. it was a 
physical impossibility for him to have manufactured a new sheet in 
the interval of five days, with like points. Inasmuch as Miller in all 
probability had taken the copy of the Capc-Fcar Mercury at Wor- 
cester (plate n.) as his model (a three-columned paper), there w-as 
no reason for his submitting a two-columned sheet. The committee 
did have in their possession photographs of two-columned Ulcrcurys 
for 1773 and 1775. obtained from London (plates iir. and iv. ). and 
may have confused their impressions of what they did see. In 
justice to them it may be said that all three reiterated their state- 
ment of a two-columned paper in ?\Iiller's hands wdien by telegraph I 
called attention to the discrepancy. 

I repeat the description of the paper itself which I made to the 
North Carolina Commission : 

The paper itself is a three-columned paper, printed on one side of 
a sheet of paper. The width of the throe columns of type is about eight 
inches, the length of the type-column (e.xclusive of heading) is about 
ten inclies. I preferred taking these measurements, as the column- 



555 A. S. Salley 

length would not vary from week to week so much as would the sheet 
of paper. The sheet was an entire sheet without wire-marks, but did 
have a water-mark toward the top and lying about half-way between the 
two side edges of the sheet. This water-mark is of a lozenge shape 
with crown, fleur-de-lis, and spear or arrow shaft, without letters or 
figures. The paper was thinner than was usually employed in news- 
paper work of that day, and had been folded twice, once lengthwise and 
once across. These folds had weakened the paper so as to call for 
mending. This repair work consists of two strips of tissue-paper 
pasted along the folds, and a third one on the right-hand or outer edge 
of the paper where signs of wear were obvious. The left or inner 
edge had the appearance of having been taken from a bound volume, 
and was ragged, with a tendency to be uniformly torn on the upper and 
lower halves. The type-line was not broken or injured, showing little 
beyond the effect of a fold. The repair work had been done by Dr. 
Miller himself. The ink was fair in appearance, the impression not 
rough enough for an example of medium press (hand) work of that 
time, not black enough for a good example. The columns were not 
crowded but were spaced and made-up fair. Altogether it is a paper 
which is a really fine specimen of the forger's art, and well calculated to 
pass for a genuine issue of the printing-press of that day. I lay no 
stress' on the spots or discoloration which appear on the sheet, as they 
belong to the most vulgar processes of the imitator's art ; but would add 
that Dr. Miller is well-informed of the effects produced in ink and paper 
by certain chemical treatment. 

Some of the information obtained by me was as follows : 
I. In Collier's Miller states that the Mercury was " discovered 
among some papers of Andrew Stevenson, U. S. Minister to the 
Court of St. James's ". He told me that, more than a year before, 
he had bought about two or three thousand of the papers of Andrew 
Stevenson, among which were only two or three letters of Steven- 
son himself. In one of these he found the Mercury folded. This 
particular letter was written by Stevenson in February, 1837, to 
" B. B. Thatcher, now at Brighton ". It had been opened by another 
Thatcher and returned to Stevenson at London. Xo mention of a 
newspaper was given in the letter, and the word which Miller read 
as " newspaper " was " permission ". Inasmuch as it was not until 
August. 1837, that Stevenson saw the papers in the Public Record 
Ofifice, this letter could have no connection, direct or indirect, with 
the alleged Mercury of June 3. Miller afterward denied that he had 
purchased the papers of Andrew Stevenson, but said that he had ob- 
tained a collection of two or three thousand autographs, some four or 
five Stevenson letters being among them. In one of these the 
Mercury was found. As he had indicated the stains on the Mercury 
which had come from the seal of this particular Stevenson letter, he 
still maintained that the paper had been found with it. But other 

' /. c. in characterizing the forgery as well executed. 

AM. HIST. REV., VOL. XI. 37. 



S. J/. Miller and ilic }[ccklcnhiirg Pcclaralion 556 

evidence proved beyond any question that there could have been no 
possible connection between the two. 

2. Miller denied having seen the Cape-Fear JMereiiry of 1769 in 
the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester. He did try, he 
said, to obtain a negative, but it came to him broken, and he returned 
it at once, without taking an impression. By the courtesy of Mr. J. 
Chester Bushong, of Worcester, who made this negative, 1 learn 
that " it was returned to me broken in many pieces, but I had no 
information from Mr. Miller as to its being received liy him in that 
condition. On the contrary his letter stating and complaining that 
the plate was not exact size and that he was compelleil to have it 
rephotographed, for wdiich expense he took the liberty to deduct from 
my bill, would I think very much contradict his statement to vou." 

Before passing from these two points I may aiJd that to Collier's 
on June 13, 1905, Miller wrote: " I do not yet own the Adams letter 
and the Cape Fear Mercury, so I could not let you have them if I 
would. They are many hundred miles away at present, altho I hope 
to own both soon." In a postscript to this same letter he wrote: " I 
have just reed. (June 14th, a.m.) the print of ' Cape Fear Mercury '. 
They had no facilities at all for making an 8j4 x 12':; neg. (the orig. 
size) but were forceil to make several smaller negatives and piece 
them together." Why did Miller, who had found the lilerciiry in 
Stevenson's papers more than " a year ago " and tlierefore six 
months before his letter to Collier's, state that he did not own it? and 
why, if he had it in his possession, did he find it necessary to have it 
photographed in Worcester, Massachusetts? Mr. Bushong says that 
Miller ordered the negative about May 15. it was sent to him about 
June 8, and was returned in pieces aljout June 21. The original 
letters of Aliller to the photographer have been destroyed, but these 
dates, given independently of any suggestion from me, corres]:)ond 
with sufficient closeness to that of the letter to Collier's to carrv con- 
viction. 

In this same letter to Collier's he began by saying: " I hand >ou 
herewith the Proclamation of Gov. Montfort Stokes (original) and 
a reduced print of the first page of the Cape Fear Mercury for June 
3rd, 1775." So that on that date he did have a " reduced" photo- 
graph of a Mercury (presumably made by the use of the Worcester 
photograph), and he speaks of a " first page " as though there were 
other pages to this issue. As stated, the paper shown to me was 
a single sheet printed only on one side. 

3. Miller showed a good knowledge of the chemistry of produc- 
ing blots, old ink-stains, and paper discolorations — too good a knowd- 



557 '^- ■S- Salley 

edge to be entirely safe, as it must be admitted that liis Mercury as 
such is an excellent bit of manufacture. 

4. He had obtained from Dr. Graham a copy of the broadside 
which was printed in facsimile in Johnson's Traditions and Reminis- 
cences, the wording of which and its list of signers are those of his 
Mercury. At Baltimore he stated voluntarily that he had " lost " 
this paper. To Collier's in June he described it as in his possession, 
and to me he showed it framed. 

5. He described a package of papers bearing upon the Mecklen- 
burg Declaration which, though boxed, had been stolen from a 
storage warehouse. Among these papers was the letter from John 
Adams to Jefferson reproduced in Collier's, and there stated to have 
once been in the possession of Hon. Jefferson M. Lew, who sold it. 
The letter is, of course, not an Adams autogra[)h (for the original 
is in the Library of Congress), but a contemporary copy or a later 
manufacture; and i\Ir. Levy writes: " I have not seen the Jefferson 
letter [/. c., Adams to Jeff'erson] therein referred to and regret very 
much to say am not the owner of it. Had I been, no one in the 
world could have bought it." 

6. The internal evidence is also against its authenticity. The 
paper contains the so-called jMecklenburg Declaration of Independ- 
ence; the list of the killed and wounded at Lexington, Mass., the 
news being dated Salem, May 25, [1775I (the word " Med ford " 
appears in the third line from the top of the second column) ; some 
news items from Philadelphia, dated May 5 ; an item on the New 
Jersey Assembly ; and a resolution of the Continental Congress at 
Philadelphia, May 15. on the attitude to be taken by the good people 
of New York toward the British troops. This resolution is headed 
New York. It is dangerous to undertake to explain the vagaries 
of a colonial newspaper, but the contents become important, as Dr. 
Miller seeks to explain any difference that may exist between this 
Caj^c-Fear Mercury and any other issue of the same paper by 
claiming this issue of June 3, 1775, to be a " supplement " to the 
regular issue of the paper. The explanation thus put forward must 
be rejected. There is nothing except the Mecklenburg Declaration 
and the list of killed and wounded at Lexington to demand a supple- 
ment, and the columns would have been spaced out by advertise- 
ments, and not with regular news items. A paragraph from 
Philadelphia announces the arrival of the " worthy Dr. Benjamin 
Franklin " and his election to represent Pennsylvania in the Con- 
tinental Congress. Another states that no official list of the British 
loss at Lexington had been published. These two items are assigned 
to Philadelphia, ]\Iay 5. Franklin did land on the fifth, and he was 



S. M. Miller and the Mecklenburg Declaration 558 

chosen to the Continental Congress on the morning of the sixth. 
The Philadelphia paper {Pennsylvania Journal) of May 10 an- 
nounced the arrival of Franklin, but made no mention then or there- 
after, so far as I have discovered, of his election to Congress. The 
Virginia Gazette of May 20 announced his arrival under Philadel- 
phia news, of May 5, but made no mention of his election. The same 
issue gave the list of provincial loss at Lexington. But the resolve 
of the Continental Congress of May 15 was not printed in the 
J'irginia Gazette until June 3 — the very day on which it appeared 
in the Cape-Fear Mercury. It is difficult to explain why this resolve 
should have travelled so much more rapid!)- than the mure important 
list of loss at Lexington. The two items may be compared in their 
travels through the press. 

" Loss at Lexington " : started at Worcester Alay 3 ; appeared in 
Pennsylvania Journal May 24 ; in Cape-Fear Mercury June 3. 

'■ Congress Resolve " : started from New York May 18 ; appeared 
in Kezv York Gazette May 22 ; in Pennsylvania Journal May 24 ; in 
Virginia Gazette June 3 ; in Cape-Fear Mercury June 3. 

The official list of British killed, wounded, and missing was 
printed in the Pennsylvania Journal of May 10, yet the Cape-Fear 
Mercury says no such list had been published. It required appar- 
ently two full weeks to get the Franklin and Lexington items from 
Williamsburg. Virginia, to the Mercury, and the Congress resolve 
appeared at Williamsburg and in the Mercury on the same day. 
The Mercury cannot be a supplement, and on its face it is not a 
regular issue. 

WORTHINGTON Ch.AUNCEY FoRD. 



^FR 13 i]?06 



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